M78 color (LRGB)Posted By Ron Wodaski |
I took a color image of M78 earlier this year, but I wasn't satisfied that I had the right combination of colors so I decided to try again. I think this version is more accurate. This is one hour of luminance and 5 sets of RGB (3:5:6 minutes RGB). A mild deconvlution helps bring out details in the nebula, and I adjusted the histogram to make the darkest portions of the nebula nearly black. I did some "micro histogram" adjustments to bring out contrast in areas of the nebula that are inherently low in contrast, and did some high-threshold sharpening in Photoshop (a high threshold avoids sharpening small details, and emphasizes large-scale structure) as well to help emphasize the subtle details of this nebula. The long luminance exposure makes it possible to use sharpening to bring out even faint details.
Taken with the Newastro Remote Telescope in New Mexico: C14, ST-1001E camera, Paramount ME. The setup uses an Optec IFW filter wheel and TCF-S focuser.
Ron Wodaski
http://www.newastro.com/remote
Taken with the Newastro Remote Telescope in New Mexico: C14, ST-1001E camera, Paramount ME. The setup uses an Optec IFW filter wheel and TCF-S focuser.
Ron Wodaski
http://www.newastro.com/remote